Lester Smith was a deputy under Constable Derick Evans until earlier this year when, according to him, he was fired with several others for blowing the whistle on his boss' illegal activities to the FBI and DA's office.

Smith protested that his termination was straightforward retaliation, and he, like many others, filed a grievance with Dallas County's Civil Service Commission to get his job back. The request was never heard. Smith was hired after August 19, 2003 and so was not eligible to participate in the civil service appeals process that got fellow Precinct 1 deputy Gregory London his job back.

Now Smith is suing the county, saying that it violated whistleblower protection laws by firing him. It's not the first suit filed against the county by deputy constables alleging retaliation, but it is the first filed by an individual stiffed by the civil service process. There are several more of those out there, and at least one is represented by Smith's attorney, Lance Wyatt. This won't be the last suit Dallas County sees.

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